Mimi’s Molasses Crinkles

Once upon a time in my younger years my Mimi would make us her molasses crinkles to take home every time we’d go visit her over the holidays. This was a great idea because I LOVED those cookies, and yet my parents were in charge of the gallon-sized plastic bag of them. While it wasn’t fun, they rationed them out to us over the following several days, making sure I would get my cookie fix but not put myself in a sugar coma.

When I got a little older I played volleyball and golf in high school. Now, volleyball I couldn’t bring myself to ask for cookies to take to games. I knew that playing hard and all that movement might cause a little…er…disruption in my stomach if I fueled with sweets. Plus I don’t know if you’ve ever seen volleyball uniforms, but cookies and Spandex shorts don’t really mix well. Just sayin’.

Golf, however, was a different story. We had long road trips to the courses we were playing and even though we carried our clubs and walked all 18+ holes it was more a slow burn and the disruption from eating cookies while playing wasn’t there as much as with volleyball. And so my mom would bake me gallon-sized plastic bags of Mimi’s Molasses Crinkles to take on the bus and enjoy while playing and, you know, to share with my teammates.

Guess how many of those teammates even saw a crumb of those cookies?

ZE-RO.

I can promise you it was probably about an hour or so outside of Lubbock and those suckers were making the rounds through my digestive tract, never to be seen again. And it was glorious.

Now it’s your turn…slap on your favorite holiday movie (I’m going with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Home Alone right now), make the cookies, and get ready to put yourself in a sugar coma…mom and dad ain’t here to help you with this one!

MIMI’S MOLASSES CRINKLES

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until all of the wet ingredients are combined, making sure to scrape down the sides – it may take a few minutes until the mixture blends well, but that’s OK. Sift together the dry ingredients and mix in with the wet until just combined. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes before baking.

When you’re ready to bake preheat your oven to 350. Scoop out the cookies in 2 Tbsp increments, roll into a ball, dab with a little water (this makes them crinkle up), and then roll the entire ball in sugar. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 350, and no more – we’re not making ginger snaps here! You want puffy, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth crinkles. And that’s what you’re going to get. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before eating, but from then on it’s a free-for all.

Just don’t forget your gallon-sized plastic bag so you can eat the entire bag on the way to work take these to work and share with your friends.

I made a very similar recipe from a friend tonight, and now I’m scouring the internet in hopes of figuring out why mine are flat too (even from a different recipe)! What in the world?! Does it have anything to do with the type of flour or the type of molasses? I wonder if maybe my molasses is too dark. Or the pan? Gosh darn it. If you figure it out, email me! 🙂 On a side note, yours are beautiful, and great photos!

you know, i really have no idea. there are times when i add a bit more flour to a recipe due to the fact that i’m living at a higher altitude and that tends to make baked goods turn out the way they’re supposed to. maybe add an extra 2 Tbsp of flour and see if that helps?

I just watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, so funny! Classic! These cookies look so soft and chewy, oh my goodness! I love your blog, and I always lose it, so I am going to follow you to keep up with your great blog!

Mmmmm I have a favorite recipe for molasses chews and these must be as good – I must bake these! And the perfect holiday season, golf or no golf (right?). Simply perfect! And, oh, Christmas in Connecticut. Watch it religiously every year. And a plate (at my age not quite a gallon-sized bag, methinks) would just hit the spot and get me through the film!